Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields return with their latest offering Distortion an album with a decidedly fuzzy sound that makes the album sound like it's being played on a dusty record player.

Far from his previous pop leanings, distorted guitars run amok in the near wordless opener 'Three-Way" and the same sound continues on 'California Girls'. Merritt (the chief songwriter) shares vocal duties with Shirley Simms, who shines on 'Drive On, Driver', but it's 'Too Drunk To Dream' that stands out the most with a sound that resembles California punk act Social Distortion-only the sound is distorted, Great for those with alternative leanings. Otherwise, this one's a struggle.